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Myanmar’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday, the first in a series of verdicts that could lead to life in prison.
Suu Kyi was found guilty on charges of inciting dissent and breaking the rules to prevent COVID-19 during the campaign for the 2020 elections.
“She was sentenced to two years in prison under section 505 (b) and two years in prison under the natural disaster law,” Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the military junta that currently governs Myanmar, told AFP news agency.
Min Tun said she will face trial on the other charges she is being accused of from where she is now.
He has 11 charges against him. Suu Kyi has denied all allegations.
Amnesty International said Monday that Myanmar’s military junta is trying to “stifle freedoms” by sentencing Suu Kyi.
“The harsh sentences handed down against Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the army’s determination to eliminate all opposition and stifle freedoms in Myanmar,” the group said in a statement quoted by AFP.
Military coup
The 76-year-old woman led an elected civilian government before being overthrown in a military coup in February.
The military seized power citing fraud in the 2020 general election in which the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Suu Kyi, overwhelmingly won.
Since then, Suu Kyi has been under house arrest, charged with a number of crimes, including several counts of corruption, violation of the official secrets law and incitement to public disorder.
Little has been seen or heard of her other than her brief court appearances.
Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero General Aung San, who was assassinated when she was just 2 years old, just before the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.
Image source, Getty Images
Aung San Suu Ky.
Suu Kyi was once seen as a beacon for human rights: an activist who gave up her freedom to challenge the army generals who ruled Myanmar with a heavy hand for decades.
In 1991, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, while still under house arrest, and was hailed as “an outstanding example of the power of the powerless.” She spent almost 15 years in detention in periods between 1989 and 2010.
In November 2015, he led the National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in the first election with opponents in Myanmar in 25 years.
The country’s constitution prohibits her from becoming president because she has children who are foreigners, but Suu Kyi, now 75, is seen as a de facto leader.
Since she became a Councilor of State for Myanmar, her leadership has been defined by the treatment of the country’s Rohingya minority, mostly Muslim, in the country.
In November 2015, he led the National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in the first election with opponents in Myanmar in 25 years.
The country’s constitution prohibits her from becoming president because she has children who are foreigners, but Suu Kyi, now 75, is seen as a de facto leader.
In her country, Suu Kyi remains very popular with the Buddhist majority who have little sympathy for the Rohingya.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.